Twinkling
by Dark-bat
Summary: Piotr Peter goes Christmas shopping. A Kiotr oneshot.


Twinkling

(I dont own Marvel characters.. blah blah blah.

oh also, please excuse any spelling errors... I'm writing on word pad and am very drunk... I'm such a bad kid.)

The mall was crowded, hot, and noisy. Last minute Christmas shoppers nearly ran from store to store, dragging wailing children or burdened under piles of large and bulky packages. It was definitely not the type of place where Piotr wanted to be. He was used to the wide open spaces and fresh cool air of his home in Russia, or the vast rooms and grounds of the Xavier mansion. Leaving FAO Schwartz, his sister's stuffed bear tucked safely underneath his arm, Piotr felt a sense of relief. Only one gift was left to buy, and then he could leave the hectic nightmare of the Westside mall. But his stomach whirrled when he realized he had no idea what to get Kitty Pryde.

Rogue had been easy to shop for. She had nearly been lusting after the new Metallica album. Logan was even easier. Buy the man a box of cigars and he was content for days. Kitty, on the other hand, dropped no hints or had no habits like Logan's smoking. He couldn't dream of getting her a gift card. Piotr wanted to buy her something special, something personal.

The past holidays had been different. The gifts he gave her were nice, but rather impersonal items. This year, however, was different. Things had changed. Piotr could remember the exact moment when they had changed. The location was, ironically, the Westside mall. While eating ice cream with ILlyana, Rogue, Kurt and Kitty, the realization came to the Russian that he, in fact, harbored deep feelings for the girl from Illinois.

The air was saturated with perfume, overpowering Piotr's nose, bringing him out of his thoughts. To escape the offensive odor, he quickly escaped the department store. As he continued on his quest, he started to day dream like love struck girl in junior high. She would open the box, dropping the tissue paper carelessly on the floor. Those amber eyes which Piotr so frequently lost himself in would light up. "It's perfect." she would murmur. "I'm glad you like it Katya," would be his reply. A moment of contemplative silence and then slowly seh would move closer to him, tilting her head upwards. "Merry Christmas, Peter" would be the words breathed through her lips before they landed on his.

"Watch where you're going, buddy!" yelled a frazzeled and bad tempered woman after she bumped into Piotr.

"I'm sorry." He half-heartedly replied as the woman walked away. Piotr sighed. Why couldn't he have finished his shopping earlier. Procrastination, he decided, was one of the things he had to remedy in his personality. Nervously, he glanced at his watch. 5:45. The mall closed at six. He only had fifteen minutes to find the perfect gift that would convey months of feelings.

Due to the time, the crowd started to thin out slighting, giving more space for Piotr to dash from store to store. Nearing a panic, something twinkling in a window caught his eye. He walked up to the glass and his heart skipped a beat when the contents of the box in his daydream were suddenly revealed to him. Looking past the falsely frosted window, a specific memory caused the corners of his mouth to tilt up in the beginnings of a smile. It was summer, and everyone was outside on the patio, enjoying the calm, warm evening. Piotr could remember it perfectly. Kitty was showing off her dance moves, telling all of them how ready she was for her recitle the next afternoon. She lost her balance and tripped and landed square in Piotr's lap. "I guess I'm not as ready as I thought." She got up and straightened her shirt. "Thanks for catching me, Petey." Kitty joked lightly. Either she didn't see, or didn't mention it, but Piotr was blsuhing a shade that would put an apple to shame.

Taking his wallet out from the pocket of his jeans Piotr walked whistfully into the store.

Christmastime was always a wonderful occasion at the Xavier school. Hank and Logan brought in the biggest and fullest pine tree most of the children had ever seen in their lives. Ororo made sure that there was plenty of snow, which lazily trailed down in fat, soft flakes. And there was never a lacking of merriment. It was Christmas Eve, and everyone was in the rec room. They were chasing each other with tinsel, roasting marshmallows, or exchanging gifts. While Kitty was Jewish, it did not stop her from having a good night with her friends and enjoying herself. As she sat in a large armchair, sipping a hot chocolate and watching Illyana play with a large teddy bear her brother had given to her, Piotr shyly walked up to her. "Katya?" His voice was a bit more timid than usual.

"Yeah?"

"This is for you." A box was brought out from behind his back, about the size of his palm, and was wrapped in silver and blue tissue, the traditional Channuka colors. It was carefully placed in the girl's hands.

"Wow! Thanks!" She started wripping off the tissue paper, and opened the box. "Oh my gosh. Peter! I love it!" Grasped the chain and softly fingered the tiny gold ballet slippers.

"I'm glad you like it, Katya." He said, pleased with himself, waiting for what was to come next. She moved closer to him, and Piotr's heart started pounding. He started bending down to reach her, until Kitty's arms envolopped him in a large hug. She moved away and smiled up at him. Piotr, disappointed, gave her a forced yet convincing smile.

"Kitty!" yelled Kurt from across the room. "Come here a second!"

"Ok!" She gave Piotr one last hug, and a thank you, before bouncing to the other side of the room. Piotr, upset and thouroughly disappointed that his daydreams had not come true, decided to skip out on the rest of the festivities and go up to his room early.

Deep in contemplation, Piotr stared outside his bedroom window. The snowfall was natural now, but still as mystifying and calming. But Piotr was not calm. He was distraught with thoughts. How could he have been so stupid that she would so easily see the meaning behind his gift? And even if she has, Piotr concluded, she would not have the reaction he hoped for. Shoulders slumped, and he sunk into dispair.

The first knock on the door evaded his perception, but the second one, which was firmer, snapped him back into reality. "Yes?" was the meager and stoic note issued from his mouth.

"Piotr? Can I come in?" Her voice was cheery, yet careful.

"Sure." He didn't care anymore. Its not like she could do anything to make him feel worse.

The door opened and Kitty walked in, coming up behind the seemingly emotionless Russian form. "Here." She dangled a small package in front of his face. "I got this for you."

He slowly opened the wrapping, tearing away layers of ribbon and red paper, then removed the lid from the box. Inside was a sole paintbrush. It was long, elegant and beautifully crafted. Piotr picked it up and gently fingered the soft hair on the tip.

"The man at the store said it was the best one they carried. Do you like it?"

He was stunned. The dismay from earlier was quickly forgotten in the examination of possibly the finest brush he had ever owned."Katya, I..."

"Shh. There's something else." Kitty put her hands on his shoulders, and moved him around so he was facing her. "Ok... now close your eyes."

Piotr raised an eyebrow.

"Just do it." and he did. Kitty took the paintbrush and box out of his hands and placed them gently on the windowsill. She took a deep breath. Jumping up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long kiss. Surprised, but very excited, Piotr slid her down to the ground. "Katya?"

"Merry Christmas, Peter." She smiled coyly, and walked back out through the door, leaving a very happy Russian.

(A/N: Whee. I had fun writing that. a little one-shot I concocted during my boredom at school. I am at a huge writers block concerning Shiny... so please bear with me as it will take a while for the next chapter of that to come out. I dont know where I want to go with the story, and I'm not too happy with previous chapters.

I liked this story because I didn't overplay the mushy junk.

I really really hope you liked it.

btw... I think I need zoloft...)


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